An exploration of the influence of educational placement on the community recreation and leisure patterns of children with developmental disabilities.

This study explored the recreation and leisure patterns of children with moderate to severe developmental disabilities, 28 parents of children labeled "trainable mentally handicapped" were questioned about the type of sport, exercise, and social activities their children participated in as well as about the opportunities for social inclusion with nondisabled peers that these activities afforded their children. Analyses indicated that most of the children participated in segregated recreation and leisure activities. However, after adjusting for age, an analysis of covariance showed that children placed in more socially integrated educational settings participated in significantly more inclusive recreational activities than children who were served in segregated educational settings.

Reliability and validity of the vocational assessment and curriculum guide.

Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and validity of the Vocational Assessment and Curriculum Guide (VACG) with subjects having different employment characteristics was investigated. The VACG, a behavior rating scale comprised of eight vocational and social skill domains, was designed to assist in the development of employment training programs for persons with mental retardation and other disabilities. Test-retest coefficients ranged from - .69 to .96 (mean = .79). Internal consistency, estimated by coefficient alpha, ranged from .59 to .91 (mean = .76) for VACG domain scores. The alpha coefficient for the total test score was .95. Empirical validation results suggest that domain scores differentiated between subjects with mental retardation having only sheltered work experience and those who were employed successfully in the competitive labor force.

Competitive employment: assessing employee reactivity to naturalistic observation.

This study assessed the work behavior of five mentally retarded dishwashers. An ABCBC design was utilized with special educators initially observing the dishwashers (Overt measures). During the B phases these educators observed the same dishwashers' work behavior while a second group of observers, posing as kitchen laborers (coworkers), assessed work behavior, during other periods of the day (Overt or Covert). Finally, during C phases, special educators and coworkers recorded dishwashers working at the same time (Overt and Covert). Results indicated dishwashers worked more when educators observed them. Dishwashers spent less time working when these educators were absent. During the "Overt and Covert" observation phases (Phase C), where covert measures were taken in addition to overt measures (i.e., at the same time and on the same person), covert measures covaried with educators' measures of work performance. These results are discussed with suggestions to initiate a program of research to investigate the use of coworkers in the administration of behavior change methods, in work settings.